December Will Be Magic Again
by standing-in-the-doorway
Summary: Mistletoe, steamboats, professionalism, lines not to be crossed: all was forgotten......Post Santa in the Slush.
1. December 26

Booth drummed happily on the steering wheel as Christmas music played on the radio.  
His Christmas spirit had returned. Standing in the snow with his son, watching Bones' face light up at the sight of the Christmas tree was the exact kind of magic he had been telling his partner about, the kind that made this time of year so special. His faith in the world had been renewed and nothing could dampen his spirits. Not the cost of last minute plane tickets to Vermont to return Parker to his ex and not that fact that his partner said that kissing him was like kissing her brother.

Okay, well that second thing was a bit of a bummer, but nothing he couldn't handle. To him, it had been a good kiss. A really good kiss, one that had thrown his world a bit off kilter. However, Bones' reaction made it clear that any spark he felt was one-sided. 

So that was that. Their relationship was still solid as their casework showed. In a few days, he would forget all about it and things would go back to normal.

Still singing along with the radio, he pulled into a parking space by the diner, stopping to get some dinner. Entering the restaurant, he was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar head bent over his usual table. He slid into the booth as his partner looked up.

"Bones, what are you doing here? I thought you were headed to Peru?"

"It was a hassle to change my flight….and I thought maybe I should take some time off." He smiled at her; maybe he and Angela had finally gotten through her thick skull. He grabbed an extra fork and snagged a piece of her pie. "Hey! I was eating that!"

"Yeah, it's delicious." He ordered a cup of coffee and took another piece of her pie. She nudged the plate towards him, condoning his theft. Despite the bit of awkwardness between them after their mistletoe kiss, this was their natural habitat and they fell easily back into old patterns.

"How was Christmas with Parker?"

"Wonderful, thanks. Christmas magic," he said, winking at her. 

"Speaking of Christmas magic, thank you so much for the Christmas tree. The girls loved it." She focused on her step-nieces' gratitude instead of her own because it was all wrapped up in the surge of emotion she felt when she looked out the trailer window and saw Booth. The moment had been so wonderful, so truly magical, that it was overwhelming to her rational mind.

"I'm glad. Parker and I had fun doing it."

"Oh, and I have your present at the office."

"Ooh, present! Let's go over after we finish the pie!" Having spent Christmas with his son, he felt like a child a little bit himself. Brennan laughed at her partner and agreed. They finished the pie and coffee and went outside.

It was snowing again, little white swirley flakes which weren't really sticking to the ground but still made a lovely sight. As they walked, making small talk about Parker's Christmas presents, Brennan scooped up little pieces of the older snow, surreptitiously forming a snowball in her glove. She slowed her pace, dropping back in order to whip the snowball at her partner. 

"Hey!" Booth cried out when the ball of ice smacked him between the shoulder blades. "Not nice, Bones!" He scooped up some snow and tossed it back at her, but she avoided it by ducking behind a car before sprinting the short distance to the Jeffersonian. Booth skidded on the ice behind her, so when he finally caught up she was in the lobby of the lab, safe from any potential snow attacks. 

"Nice, Bones. Attacking your partner at Christmas."

"Christmas was yesterday," she retorted.

"It's still Christmas time until I get my gift!" he argued back. 

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes and walked over to her desk, picking up a red envelope and handing it to her partner.

"Merry Christmas, Booth." Trying his damnedest to ignore the way she bit her lower lip as she waited for his response, he ripped into the envelope. Inside the card were 2 VIP tickets to a Capitals v. Flyers game. "I thought you could go with Parker."

"Thanks, Bones! These are great. Parker will love it." He leaned in and gave her a hug. "I love them. Thank you." 

What was meant to be a quick, appreciative guy hug promptly turned into something other when he realized her soft body was pressed against his in almost the same spot where she had kissed him a short time ago. Suddenly, his mouth went dry. His tongue darted out to wet his lips as he considered what it would be like to kiss her again, to show her that kissing him could be a lot different to kissing her brother.

Not always the most sensitive to emotional climates, even Brennan could sense the change in Booth's mood. The tension between them, which had been nonexistent just moments before, had ratcheted up dramatically. He let one hand drift lower on her back, not letting her back away, while the fingers of the other skimmed her jaw line, tilting her face up to his. "Booth, what are you doing?" she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

"I'm going to kiss you," he whispered back.

"But I took the mistletoe down," she protested weakly.

"I know." Then, his lips were on hers, soft but demanding. His fingertips stroked over her cheek, encouraging her to respond, as he prayed silently that she wasn't about to kick his ass into next Tuesday. His fear was relieved when her lips parted slightly beneath his. He took advantage, gliding his tongue over her lower lip, tempting hers to come out and play.

Once again, Brennan's hands slid to the lapels of his coat, pulling herself up to him, keeping his mouth firmly on hers. He leaned further into her, sending her slightly off balance as she was up on her toes. Quickly steadied by Booth's strong arms as she stumbled back a bit, he guided her back to lean against her desk.

Their lips parted for a moment, giving them both a chance to suck in air before they crashed together again. Mistletoe, steamboats, professionalism, lines not to be crossed: all was forgotten except for the feel of lips against lips. The desk providing support behind her, Booth pressed into his partner, his tongue sliding wetly along hers. She was soft and pliant against him and he could feel tingles up and down his spine. There was no way she wasn't feeling this too.

A loud crash broke the two of them apart and their eyes shot guiltily over to the night security guard. He had stumbled over some lab equipment in his haste to avoid interrupting the pair. Noticing that he had been spotted, he rushed to explain his presence.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm so sorry….I saw the light….I thought you were on vacation…I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right, George. We weren't…." Her face was bright red and Booth was blushing too. 

"I'll go…I'm sorry." The security guard backed away quickly leaving the partners in awkward silence. 

"It's getting late. We should go." Brennan said softly.


	2. December 30

Brennan glared at her phone as it rang. She was screening her calls, not wanting to talk to Booth, the suspected caller. It had been four days since their late night kiss and they hadn't spoken since she rushed away from him that night. He had called twice, leaving messages saying that they should talk which she promptly ignored. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him or even how she felt about everything that happened between them.

"Hello Temperance, this is Amy," the voice on the machine said, interrupting the doctor's thoughts. Brennan reached for the phone, picking up and interrupting the machine's recording. 

"Hi Amy. How are you?"

"Oh, Temperance, you're there. Good. I have a favor to ask of you. I know it's last minute and I don't want to impose but I was able to get a pass to go see Russ today and the girls' babysitter can't make it. Could you possibly watch them for a few hours?"

"Um…" she stammered. She had nothing else to do today besides some laundry and catching up on some reading. "Um, okay. Sure."

"Great! Can I drop them by in an hour?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you! I'll see you soon!" As soon as Brennan hung up, the panic set in. She really liked her almost step-nieces, but she wasn't particularly good with children. It was one thing to read them a story under the watchful eye of their mother or spending a short time together at a Christmas party. It was quite another to spend alone time with them in her apartment where she happened to have absolutely nothing to entertain two young girls. Her TV didn't even get cable, so they couldn't watch that Nora the Adventurer program, or whatever it was that was on half of Hayley's Christmas presents.

She picked up the phone again and called Angela. She got her voice mail. "Ange, it's me. I have a little problem. Hayley and Emma are coming over and I don't know what to do. Please call me!" Even though she left the message, she knew it was unlikely that her friend would return her call in time. She and Hodgins had gone out to a ski lodge for the holidays.

She didn't know whom else to call. Cam was also out of town as was Zack, although he probably wouldn't have been much help. She had a brief thought that she should get some more friends, but it passed quickly and she knew what she had to do.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Brennan greeted Amy and the girls with a smile. 

"Hi Aunt Temperance!" they said excitedly. Hayley threw her small arms around her legs. The anthropologist was surprised by their show of affection; it was still hard for her to open up to new people. But she liked Russ's family and was starting to accept that they were becoming her family too.

"Hi Hayley! Hi Emma!" She helped Amy remove the girls' coats and scarves and hung them by the door.

"Thanks again. I really appreciate this." Amy said to her almost sister-in-law.

"Of course, Amy, it's no problem."

"So I'll pick them up in about 3 hours. Bye girls. Be good for Temperance." She kissed her daughters goodbye and headed off towards the prison. After closing the door behind their mom, Brennan turned to see the girls exploring her apartment. 

"You have a lot of books," Emma noticed. "Will you read us a story?"

"I don't think those are appropriate for children."

"So what are we going to do?" The deer in headlights look on Brennan's face was relieved when she heard a knock on her door. Thank God. She opened the door to find Booth on the other side.

"It's the Christmas tree man!"

"Actually, my name is Seeley." He said crouching down and shaking the girls' hands. 

"That sounds like silly." 

"Yes, it kind of does." He chuckled with them. "And you are Hayley and you are Emma, right?"

"Right!"

"Well then, Hayley and Emma, I brought a movie to watch. The Year Without A Santa Claus. Do you want to see it?"

"Uh-huh!" The two girls replied excitedly. Brennan took the DVD from Booth and led them over to the television. 

"I also brought some coloring books," Booth told them, handing each of them a pink Barbie princess book and giving them a 128 pack of Crayola to share. "I got one for you too Bones." He waved the pink cover at his partner.

"Booth, it's insulting that just because we're females, you think we want Barbies and princesses. Such preferences are stereotypes impressed upon us by…."

"No lectures, Bones. If you don't want it, I'll take it and you can miss out on the fun." He smirked at her before joining the girls on the floor. Sprawled on his stomach, he selected a pink crayon and started to color.

Brennan watched as her partner and her quasi-nieces colored and the ridiculous stop motion movie played. She couldn't help but think of how odd this was. To an unknowing observer, they would look like a family. It was not something she ever thought she would see in her apartment. And it wasn't something she was looking for either. 

But looking at Booth, coloring in a princess on her living room floor, she couldn't help but smile.

At some point, the girls convinced her to join them while Booth made popcorn. Then, before she knew it, Amy was at the door again. Temperance said goodbye to her nieces and asked quietly about her brother. Once the Hollisters were gone, she turned around to find Booth washing dishes while humming the Heatmiser song. She watched him for a moment until he stopped humming.

"Are you going to keep staring at my back or are you going to come dry?" he asked. She moved into the kitchen, grabbing a dishrag and dried the glasses, putting them away. As usual, their partnership led them to achieve their goal quickly, but then with no dishes left, they found themselves in awkward silence. Booth broke it. "Bones, we need to talk."

"We've been talking all afternoon, Booth."

"You know that's not what I mean. We need to talk about what happened in your office. Our kiss."

"I don't think there's much to say. It was a mistake. Let's leave it in the past." Booth frowned.

"Do you really think that?"

"Yes." She turned her back to him, unable to look him in the eye but wiping down the counter as an excuse. Still she could feel her eyes boring into her back. "You were the one who drew that line in the sand and you were right. We are partners, colleagues. Having a personal relationship would be a mistake." Booth recognized his own words, arguments he had made himself time and time again. But the moment his lips had touched hers for the first time, he realized how futile all those arguments were.

"Don't you think we have a personal relationship? You're my best friend, Bones. I'd already do anything for you. Having a romantic relationship wouldn't change anything except maybe by make us incredibly happy."

"How can you know that?" She turned back to him with questioning eyes. He shrugged.

"My gut." He offered, but tried again when she skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I can't know for sure, but let me tell you what I do know. I know that most of the time you drive me crazy, absolutely up the wall. You constantly question me, even insult me, but at the same time, you always push me to be better and I'm grateful for that. I know we're so different but we work well together as partners and friends. We've done so much good together and I trust you with my life." Though she fought it, Brennan's bright blue eyes started to well with tears. His earnest words touched her, echoing feelings for him that she had been fighting to keep buried. "I know that you are beautiful, intelligent and without a doubt, the most amazing woman I've ever met. And I know that all I can think about standing here is how I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you and how much I want to kiss you again."

They stared at each other in the loud silence left in the wake of his speech. Brennan's mouth opened and closed like a fish, unsure of what to say. Then, without warning, she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his. Booth's eyes widened in surprise – he hadn't expected that reaction – but he quickly relaxed against her. Lips parted, moving together gently, and his eyes drifted shut. 

She tasted different each time they kissed. The first time like mint from the gum she had been chewing, the second time like pie and coffee, and now salty like the popcorn they had been eating. But each time, there was something sweet underneath, something uniquely Bones and he was quickly finding that he couldn't get enough. 

Hands tunneled through her hair as he opened his mouth wider, sliding his tongue wetly against hers, taking in as much as of her as he could. Her fingernails scratched lightly over his neck and into his hair as she kissed him back with equal ardor. He groaned against her mouth, backing her up against the counter. 

"So we're doing this?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yes, we are."


	3. December 31

_AN1: So a while ago, I was talking with some people about how Bones fans are the best reviewers - only to be slightly disappointed with the response to this one. Don't make me a liar guys!_

_AN2: Can someone tell me if there is an episode where they mention Booth's brother? It seems pretty accepted on FF dot net that he's Jared, but I don't remember this from the show at all. Is it something that has just slipped into FF canon?_

_AN3: Last part. Enjoy! _

* * *

In the haze between sleep and wakefulness, Booth's only thought was that his pillow was unbelievably, insanely comfortable. His bed was never this comfortable. His pillows were never this fluffy, his sheets never this soft. Then he realized it wasn't his bed. It was Bones' bed. 

BONES'. BED.

Barely able to believe it, he rolled over and faced his new lover as proof. The morning sun coming through the window illuminated her face and the pale skin exposed above the 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, which were making the bed so comfy.

He reached out with one finger and traced it over her fine features, starting when she woke under his touch. Bright blue eyes blinked open and locked on his brown ones.

"Hi."

"Hey." He brushed his lips against hers and stroked his hand over her arm to settle at her hip. They kissed softly for a few long, lingering moments. "This is a nice way to wake up."

"It gets nicer." She kissed him then, a little deeper this time.

"Mmmph," he murmured against her lips, "should we talk maybe?"

"I think we're more people of action, don't you?" He grinned as her hands disappeared beneath the sheets.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"So do you have plans for tonight?" Booth asked Brennan over coffee and waffles at the diner.

"No plans. I'm supposed to be in Peru, remember?"

"Right. Want to do something?"

"Like what?"

Booth's eyebrows knitted together in frustration as he suddenly realized it was too late for any romantic New Year's Eve plans. He drummed his fingers as he tried to think. "All the restaurants are going to be booked up, bars filled, we really should have planned ahead."

"Booth, it's not a big deal. New Year's Eve isn't an important holiday. In fact, January 1st is a completely arbitrary date for the beginning of the new year and it wasn't even commonly accepted until the 16th century. On the other hand, the Zoroastrian New Year falls on the vernal equinox which, to me, seems like a much more logical date than mid winter."

"Bones," Booth cut his partner off from what would surely become a lengthy lecture about new year's practices around the world, "it's what we do. Here in America. Where we live."

Instead of responding with a lengthy diatribe about socialization, Bones just smiled at him. She was incredibly relieved that he wasn't staring at her moony-eyed across the table. Their banter was uninterrupted, their relationship seemed pretty unchanged even with the addition of sex and…dare she think it, love.

"Why don't you come over for dinner? I'll cook."

"Mac 'n' cheese?" Booth asked excitedly.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Booth paused in front of the bodega next to the wine shop. Bouquets of flowers were displayed, offering to help men woo their special dates for the night. He considered buying some for Brennan. Not roses definitely, she would laugh in his face. But daffodils or daisies maybe. He wasn't sure if it would still be too much.

Since last night, Brennan seemed as into this as he was, but he didn't want to scare her away with romantic gestures. He decided to skip the flowers and instead just bought some wine for dinner and champagne for midnight.

He arrived at Brennan's place at 8:30 and could already smell delicious things from behind the door. His excitement grew greater when she answered the door. Instead of her usual professional attire or her casual jeans and top, she was wearing a hunter green wrap dress with a signature chucky necklace – date clothes.

"Smells good, Bones."

"Thanks, it's almost ready. Come on in." He followed her into the kitchen, reaching out and spinning her into him. Hand on the back of her neck, he lowered his lips to hers. They parted with a soft sigh and he took advantage, sliding his tongue along her lower lip before sneaking inside. She responded enthusiastically, sucking lightly until they were interrupted by the ding of a timer.

"Dinner's ready," Bones said with a smile. Their meal passed in comfortable conversation and after they ate, their party of two made its way over to the couch. Warm from the wine and his presence, she didn't protest when Booth slung his arm around her shoulder. Instead, she curled into his side as they watched Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve.

They had watched TV together a few times but always from opposite ends of the couch, keeping a partner-ly distance. Now, with the distance gone, Booth couldn't believe how simply nice it all felt. The brush of her hair against his arm, the weight of her head on his shoulder, the warmth of her thigh next to his. It was delicious and heady and wonderful.

Somehow he managed to keep from kissing her until the final countdown. "Ten, nine, eight, seven…" they started together with the crowd on TV. Reaching with the arm that wasn't around her shoulders, he dragged his knuckle along her jaw, turning her away from the screen and to him.

"Six, five," he whispered, moving towards her. "Four, three, two," he moved closer to her with each number until she could feel his breath, hot against her cheek. His lips brushed against hers as they murmured "one" and then they were sealed together.

Brennan took the lead, coaxing his tongue out to play with hers. She pulled him closer, hands on his face, dipping her tongue to take in the taste of him. With the few kisses they had shared so far, she found herself a bit addicted to her partner's mouth. He was an incredibly good kisser and she couldn't believe she had waited two and half years to find that out.

Booth slanted his head, deepening the kiss as he let his hands wander over the curves he had learned the night before. The stretchy thin fabric did little to block the feel of the heat of her skin. She arched into his touch, opening her mouth wider and kissing him harder.

Eventually, they let the intensity of the kiss lessen to a slow burn instead of a raging fire. Their lips moved leisurely together, tongues occasionally caressing until they finally broke apart. Brennan peeked at the clock on the DVD player which read 12:07. It seemed 2008 was off to a good start.

"Happy New Year, Booth."

"Happy New Year, Bones."


End file.
